


For Reasons Wretched and Divine

by AMidnightDreary



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Banter, Established Relationship, Fluff, Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Light Angst, Loki (Marvel) Feels, M/M, Odin (Marvel)'s A+ Parenting, Politics, Sweet, Tony Stark is a good boyfriend, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:42:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24715522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AMidnightDreary/pseuds/AMidnightDreary
Summary: When the Allfather finds out about their relationship, Tony and Loki decide to use Odin's own methods against him, and that is a surprisingly good idea.
Relationships: Loki/Tony Stark
Comments: 39
Kudos: 480





	For Reasons Wretched and Divine

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LoveReignsSupreme](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoveReignsSupreme/gifts).



> I did promise to write a wedding, didn't I? xD Take this as a small thanks for all the comments you left on my stories and for chatting with me. I hope you like it!
> 
> Title is taken from "Jackie and Wilson" by Hozier.

As soon as he steps into the kitchen, Tony knows that something is wrong. It's because how Loki looks at him, his face so carefully blank, and it's also because of the mug of coffee that's already steaming on the table, ready for Tony.

It's not like Loki never makes him coffee. It's just that usually, the first thing he does when he returns from Asgard is go to Tony and take him to bed, and  _ then _ there's coffee. 

Nevertheless, Tony is happy to see him. (He is always happy to see Loki.)

“Hey,” he says, leaning down to kiss Loki before he lets himself drop on the chair next to him. “I thought you had to stay in Godland this week?”

Loki looks at him and then away, his fingers fidgeting on the table. “Something has happened.”

“Yeah, I kind of figured.” Tony reaches for the coffee mug. “Spit it out, Lokes, what’s wrong?”

Loki clears his throat, and he doesn’t look at Tony when he says, “My father knows.”

Tony stills in the middle of taking a sip of coffee. He stares at Loki - at how tired he looks, how frustrated, how  _ scared. _ Loki doesn’t look like any of that, usually, because Loki is the boldest and most fearless person Tony has ever even met. Sure, he’s also one of the most insecure people Tony has ever met, but well. Loki is made of paradoxes.

Tony swallows slowly and lets his mug sink. “Shit.”

Loki lets out a sharp laugh. “Yes, quite.”

“But -  _ how _ did he - did Heimdall -”

“No, I don’t think so,” Loki says, shaking his head. “I believe we can put the blame on either Huginn or Muninn.”

God, how Tony hates those birds.

He takes a breath. “Okay. Okay, that’s - I mean, that sucks, but we’ll fix it. What can we do?”

Loki frowns, staring at the table rather than at Tony. “We do not have many options. My father sent me to inform you that we will not see each other again.”

Tony feels like someone just emptied a bucket of ice cold water over his head. “What? No.  _ No.” _

“Anthony,” Loki says and finally looks at Tony again, his tone urgent. Eyes desperate. “You  _ know _ that my brother and I are not allowed to court mortals, let alone mortal  _ men.  _ I told you that from the start -”

“Yeah, and you also told me ‘fuck them’ and courted me, anyway! _ ” _

The desperation in Loki’s eyes turns to anger and he stands up, his hands clenched to fists at his sides. “You don’t understand. My father wants you  _ dead, _ it is only because I begged my mother to talk to him that he allows you to live. But if we keep seeing each other, he will -”

“And what will he do to  _ you?” _ Tony turns on his chair, his arm on the backrest, and glares at his lover. “He’s been on the brink of banishing you a few times already! And now this -”

“Yes,” Loki snaps, “and now  _ this.” _

Oh.

Tony stares at Loki, shocked and helpless. He remembers the first time they met, years ago on yet another boring gala, one of the firsts Tony attended after Afghanistan and Obie. Loki was oh so mysterious back then with his black suits and brilliant smiles, showing up here and there just to cause mischief and then disappearing off the radar again - shit, Tony fell for him even before they really knew each other, because  _ finding _ Loki was the most challenging task he’s ever been given. And he found Loki. He found Loki again and again and again, until they became friends, until they became  _ more _ than friends, until Loki told him who and what he was.  _ This has to be a secret, _ he told Tony as well.  _ It has to be, otherwise it would be dangerous for you, and I wish to keep you safe. _

Loki is trying to keep Tony safe right now, too.

“He’s banishing you,” Tony whispers, gaze fixed on Loki, mind reeling as he tries to figure out what to do.

Loki deflates. He presses his lips together, clenches and unclenches his hands, looks away. “To Vanaheim, most likely. I think he will find me some lady to marry, so that my absence from Asgard can be explained.” 

“Shit,” Tony says again. “God, I - Loki, I’m so sorry.”

Loki looks at him, and the anger bleeds out of his eyes. “I knew this would happen sooner or later,” he says, quietly. “Please, don’t apologize. It’s not your fault.”

But it’s not fair, is it? Unsurprising, yes, but not fair. Loki’s relationship to his father has always been strained beyond repair. Ever since Loki figured out that he would never even be considered for the crown, he distanced himself from his family and Asgard - spent his time in the other realms instead of in the palace he grew up in, caused mischief and havoc when he felt like it. He hasn’t been a proper prince of Asgard in a very long time.

But still,  _ banishment? _

And not just that. He will be forced to go and stay somewhere he doesn’t want to be, and he will be forced to marry someone he doesn’t want, too. Shit, this morning has turned into a nightmare. The mere thought of Loki, banished and lonely and  _ with someone else, _ makes Tony’s skin crawl. Odin can’t just force him to marry, can he?

Marry someone else, that is.

Wait a minute.

“Anthony,” Loki says, sitting down next to Tony again. “You have to promise me that you won’t go and challenge Odin. I have to know that you are -”

“I’ll promise nothing like that,” Tony says, and before Loki can frown and argue, he adds, “Lokes, I have a  _ wonderful _ idea.”

*

Even in the middle of the night, the palace isn’t dark. In the evening, Tony watched the palace guards walk through the halls and put out all the lanterns, but there is still enough light in the corridors. It’s as if night never fully settles over Asgard; the sky might be black and vast, but it’s filled with so many stars and the light of two moons that everything just seems to  _ shine. _ The beauty of it is almost eerie.

Tony still feels out of place here. Which doesn’t mean that he doesn’t know his way around the palace; Loki showed him all the secret pathways, the windows one can climb in and out of, the nooks that make the best hideouts should one get in trouble. Tony manages to sneak out of his room without getting noticed by the guards. He guesses that Heimdall  _ does _ notice him, but Heimdall is more a watcher than a doer, and as long as he senses no actual dangers, he’s willing to look away. 

This seems to be the case this time, too, because Tony gets to the gardens without problems. He stumbles over a few stones and probably steps on a few flowers, but that’s all. He hopes that Frigga won’t be mad at him, but at the moment that doesn’t really matter, anyway. 

Loki’s balcony overlooks his mother’s gardens, and he told Tony often enough about how he would climb up there when he was younger to be back in his bed just seconds before Frigga came to check on him. Now, Tony’s not the best climber in the world and he doesn’t have his suit, but he’s not going to fall and break his neck. Probably.

Twenty minutes later, he quite literally falls over the parapet of Loki’s balcony, cursing quietly about how he’s getting much too old for shit like this. At once, the light in Loki’s bedroom goes on, casting a green shine on the balcony. There is no glass or stone separating Tony from the bedroom now, just a few columns he can just walk past. It rarely rains on Asgard, after all; most of Thor’s thunderstorms are dry.

He sees Loki getting out of bed, already glaring at him, and Tony grins crookedly and raises his hand. “Hi, honey! Did you see what I just did because I will  _ not  _ do it a-”

“Be quiet, you fool,” Loki interrupts him, grabbing Tony’s arm and pulling him into his bedroom. “What  _ are _ you doing?”

“Thank you, Loki, it’s so nice to see you, too. Do you -”

“You are not allowed to be here tonight,” Loki interrupts him, his tone just a whisper.

“I couldn’t sleep,” Tony defends himself. “They put me in a room that’s like,  _ literally _ on the other end of the palace. And not a single thing is green there, can you imagine? Shit, you’ve rubbed off on me, I feel like I need a green throw pillow around me or I’ll go mad. It’s like -”

“You are being dramatic,” Loki hisses. “Go back to -”

“Nope, no, no can do. I’m staying here.”

Loki narrows his eyes. “Anthony -”

“There’s no reason for that tone,” Tony says, taking off his shoes while already making his way over to the bed. He pauses and raises his brows at Loki, still holding one of his shoes. “Unless, I mean, if you want to be  _ alone -” _

“No,” Loki says at once, crossing his arms. “I cannot sleep, either.”

“Yep, thought so.” Tony drops his shoe and crawls into the bed, which is a lot bigger and more comfortable than the one he is supposed to be in right now. He’s found that he quite likes Loki’s rooms here. “Okay, yes, this is much better.”

“You are a nuisance,” Loki announces, bending down to pick up Tony’s shoes and place them accurately next to the bed.

“And you’re acting like we’re already married,” Tony says. “Where’s the adventure, Lokes? The thrill? What  _ happened _ to us?”

“Oh, do shut up.”

Tony laughs and holds out his hands. “C’mere.”

And Loki comes. His face softens as he sits down next to Tony on the bed and takes his hands. His magical light is still hovering in the middle of the room, it calls even more attention to the vibrant green of Loki’s eyes.

“You worry too much,” Tony tells him.

“You worry too little.”

“We can’t both be freaking out twenty four seven, sweetheart. We have to take turns.”

Loki smiles, just slightly. “Odin could still change his mind.”

“He won’t.”

“If he catches us breaking yet another tradition -”

“He  _ won’t. _ The deal’s set in stone now, isn’t it? We marry, for  _ solely _ political reasons, and then we fuck off to Earth and you’ll never set a foot on Asgard again. A nice banishment dressed like a marriage.”

Loki looks down at their hands. “Yes. Indeed.”

God, he looks miserable. Tony swallows down his own worries and smiles, squeezing Loki’s hands. “It’ll be alright. Nothing - nothing will  _ really _ change, right? You’ve been basically living on Earth with me for years, anyway. And you hate it here.”

“Oh, I do,” Loki says, quietly. “But it was still my home, long ago.”

For a long moment, Tony doesn’t know what to say. He  _ knows  _ that Loki is in pain, that he’s sad and angry and frustrated, and he also knows that there’s not a single thing Tony can do or say to make it better. 

Still, he says, “I - I’m so sorry, Loki. I know this sucks. If they hadn’t caught us -”

“If they hadn’t caught us, this would not be your problem,” Loki says. “I am still -”

“Let me stop you right there,” Tony cuts him off. “We talked about this already, didn’t we?”

Loki glances at him, but he stays quiet. Of course they talked about this already, dozens of times since they came up here and started negotiating with Odin. Loki already apologized, and Tony does not want to hear him do it again.

“Marrying you is not a  _ problem, _ Loki,” he says. “Okay? As far as I’m concerned, it’s the best thing that will ever happen to me.”

Loki nods slowly. “For solely political reasons,” he echoes.

“Yeah. And, well, maybe a few other reasons. But just a few.”

“Mh. For example?”

“Have you  _ seen _ your ass?”

“No,” Loki says. “I find that I much prefer looking at yours.”

Tony has to laugh, and finally Loki smiles. He leans forward to kiss Tony, who melts into it at once because  _ yes,  _ Tony is worried, too, but he feels much better already now that they don't have to spend the night alone.

Loki manages to make Tony lie down in the bed, and Tony is still grinning when Loki breaks the kiss and presses his lips to Tony's forehead instead. He then lies down next to him - lets himself drop on the mattress, really - and looks up at the canopy.

"I want to go home," he says with a sigh.

Tony takes Loki's hand and places it between them on the pillow, where he can watch while he plays with Loki's fingers. "You said it'll be a big party."

"Oh, yes," Loki says. "I may be the second prince that has long fallen out of grace, but not making a celebration out of this is not an option. The leaders of other realms would be incredibly insulted if they heard of my marriage, but never got an invite."

Tony makes a face. "Politics. It's the same everywhere."

Loki agrees with a hum. He still looks sullen, and Tony can't blame him. Tony doesn't like it when he gets involved into political schemes he can't control, either. Usually, both of them are good at  _ acquiring _ that control, but with this the risks are too high. Getting through some hypocritical celebrating is a small price for staying together. And the marriage? Well, that's something that would have happened eventually, anyway. Probably. They're both not really the marriage type, but they can make an exception for each other. They always do.

"How will tomorrow go, then?" Tony asks. They didn't have much time to talk about; they left for Asgard in a bit of a hustle, and most of the time here was spent negotiating with Odin. Questions about the wedding itself haven't really had place in Tony's head so far.

"Well," Loki says, "I will need to teleport you out of here before sunrise, because we are not allowed to spend the night together. Like I told you several times, I think."

"Huh. Must have missed that."

"How curious."

"Come on, Lokes. What are we if not rule breakers?"

"Indeed. Then, we will spend the morning being fussed about by servants and possibly by my mother, too, because obviously we need to look our best." Loki pauses and looks at Tony, smiling. "I have to admit that I'm curious about your attire. I have never seen you in Asgardian clothes before."

"Gee, I wonder why. I tried it on yesterday, it's uncomfortable as  _ hell. _ " Tony gives Loki a pointed look and a grin. "You won't know what hit you, though. The color looks damn good on me."

"Is it green?" Loki asks, curious.

"Sorry, love, my lips are sealed."

"I will be annoyed if it isn't green," Loki warns, but the look in his eyes is warm. He even lifts Tony's hand to his lips and kisses his knuckles, looking relaxed for the first time tonight. "The ceremony itself won't be very exciting. It's a rather brief affair. My mother will wed us - this kind of thing falls into her area of expertise. You just have to repeat what she says at the right time, I believe even you can manage that."

"Your trust in me is astounding as always."

Loki smiles. "Then, the feast. Everyone will eat and drink more than they should eat and drink, and speeches will be given."

"Oh joy," Tony says dryly.

"Quite." Loki sighs and looks up again. "I am going to make a brief and entertaining speech, in which I announce subtly but clearly that I will spend all of my time in Midgard, to renew the bond between our realms. Which is, as you probably remember, the only reason for our marriage."

"Yeah, that and your ass. I thought I made that clear."

"I know it will be hard, but please don't mention that in your speech."

"Wait, I also -"

"Oh, yes. Brief and entertaining."

"Brief and entertaining," Tony repeats, nodding. "And as many hidden snide remarks as possible. I can do that."

"I know," Loki says. He trails his fingertips over Tony's underarm. "We will get a lot of gifts, I assume. But shortly after that they will expect us to leave to consummate the marriage."

"Now  _ that _ sounds like fun."

There's mischief in Loki's eyes. "It's not unusual for newly wedded couples to stay away from the celebrations, at least for the first one or two days. Everyone needs to be sure that they… did the deed, so to say."

"They don't want to watch, though, do they?"

"Oh, that won't be necessary," Loki says idly. "I intend to make them listen, whether they like it or not."

Oh, yes, Tony can get behind that sentiment. Sex will be a  _ very  _ good distraction. "You think you can make me scream, huh?"

Loki raises a brow at him, unimpressed. "I think I proved often enough that, yes, I can."

Tony laughs and moves closer to him, wrapping his arm around Loki's middle and kissing him. He can feel Loki's smile against his lips. When they pull apart again, Loki lifts his hand and runs it through Tony's hair, his expression thoughtful.

"Are you not scared at all?" he says, very quietly.

Tony rolls onto his side properly, his head propped up on his hand. "Are you?"

Loki frowns slightly and, after a moment, averts his eyes. The canopy seems to be very interesting tonight. Tony waits patiently, his hand drawing lazy patterns on Loki's chest.

"Yes," Loki admits after a very long moment. "Terribly."

"You don't need to be," Tony tells him just as quietly. "I know this isn't how either of us imagined it to go, but. It can still be good, you know?"

Loki looks at him again. "How can you be so sure of that?"

Tony grins, faint and lopsided. "We do a lot of things out of spite, don't we? Why can't we be happy because of it, too?" Loki looks like he thinks that's a pretty good point, so Tony continues. "I mean, just - fuck them. I'm getting married to the love of my life, why should I be scared? Why  _ shouldn't  _ I be happy?"

Loki studies his face, the look in his eyes overwhelmingly fond. "The love of your life," he echoes slowly. "That is… a very sweet thing to say."

Tony frowns. "But?"

Loki shakes his hand and rolls onto his side, too. "But nothing. It is very sweet, and I like it. Also I do think that you are the love of my life as well."

Tony smiles and shifts a bit until he is comfortable. There's not much space between their faces now, and like this he can directly look into Loki's eyes. "Then marrying me isn't that big of a  _ problem,  _ is it?"

"No," Loki says softly. "No, indeed it is not."

His magical light flickers out, and eventually they fall asleep.

*

The ceremony is, like Loki said, a rather brief affair. 

Dozens of people are watching as the second prince of Asgard gets married to a mortal man, but honestly? Tony doesn't notice any of them, because yes - fuck them. This isn't about them. This isn't about Odin or Thor, this isn't about everyone on Earth who will be  _ extremely  _ confused about how Tony Stark married an actual mage from outer space, and this isn't about Frigga, either, even though she deserves a special spot in Tony's heart solely because she seems genuinely happy for her son

But this is  _ not _ about them.

This is about Loki, who is absolutely drop-dead gorgeous in his formal green clothes that would look completely ridiculous on everyone else, and this is about the giddy look in his eyes when they stand right in front of each other. This is about how he barely even listens to what his mother is saying because he's so busy staring at Tony, and this is about how firmly he holds Tony's hand while Frigga ties a green ribbon around their wrists.

This is also about how he kisses the juice of Tony's lips right after he ate the apple.

Except for the things Frigga prompts them to say, of which Tony doesn't understand anything because it's Asgardian, there are no vows. They give their speeches, but the words aren’t meant for each other; they’re for the crowd. But later, after they accepted their gifts and fled the party at the first chance they got, later when they are finally,  _ finally _ alone, they hide in one of the nooks Loki told Tony about, and they kiss.

And Loki is smiling.

"I am  _ incredibly _ fond of you," he whispers, resting his forehead on Tony's. He seems overwhelmed and slightly agitated; he's been tense and nervous all day. He can't keep his hands off Tony, scared that Odin decides to take him away, after all.

"I love you," Tony replies and, yes, Loki is smiling.

"Yes," he says, his hands clinging to Tony's green robes. "That as well."

Tony chuckles. "I have something for you."

Loki's smile widens and he steals a kiss, slow and deep. "Can it wait?” he murmurs, then, lips moving against Tony’s own. “Because I am in  _ desperate _ need for you.”

“No,” Tony says, just to see Loki pout. He does pout, rather adorably, and Tony laughs. He riffles through his clothes and finally finds his gift; two golden rings he made himself. He shows them to Loki, grinning. “Here. One for you, one for me, and then we can go and fuck each other senseless. Deal?”

“Deal,” Loki whispers, and he seems so stunned by the rings that he’s forgotten all about their other plans. “Did you -”

“Make them? Yep. I know you guys don’t do the rings thing, but I thought -”

“Yes,” Loki says, and that is it.

They slide the rings onto each others fingers, and then they go and spend the next few days in bed.


End file.
